Draft-rigging.



H. C. AMIS.

DRAFT RIGGING.

APPLICATION FILED AuG.I5, IaIs.

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l DRAFT RIGGING.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. l5, 1916.

Patented Feb.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb., 5, 391th Application led August 15, 1916. Serial No. 115,073.

To all whom it may concern: 4

Be it known that I, HENRY C. AMis, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stanfield, in the county of Umatilla and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Righ,

gings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention contemplates an improved draft rigging for railway cars and has as its primary object to provide a construction wherein the draft between the draw bars of the car will be continuous so that when several cars are connected, a continuous draft will be formed from one end of the train to the other.

The invention has as a further object to provide a draft rigging wherein the draft upon a train will be equally distributed between the cars thereof.

The invention has as a further object to provide a draft rigging havin a .certain amount of slack or give so as to e iminate all jerking or suddenness of motion of the car when a draft is applied thereto.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a continuous draft rigging having an equalizer interposed between the coacting draw bars thereof and employing an expansion spring which will be compressed by a draft upon either of the said draw bars and will thus act to distribute the draft between the said bars.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide a continuous draft rigging which will relieve the strain upon the centerl sills of the car and will thus be adapted for use upon cars constructed with wooden bodies.

v Other and incidental objects will appear as the description proceeds and in the drawings wherein l have illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan View illustrating the manner Vin which my improved rigging is 4supported upon the frame of a car,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the eoualizer employed,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view more particularlv showing the construction of the draft members,

Fig. t is a sectional view illustrating the arrangement of the followers within the draft members and the springs interposed between the said followers,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view more particu larly showing the mounting of the followers, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentaryperspective view of the inner extremity of one of the draw bars and illustrating the connection between the said draw bars and the draft rods of the draft heads.

in order to more clearly illustrate the present invention, l have shown my improved rigging in connection with a portion of a car frame including terminal crosspieces 10 at opposite ends of the car and between which are arranged spaced parallel center sills 11. Mounted between the said sills adjacent opposite ends of the car frame, are coacting draft members 12 and 13 respectively. 'llhese members are substantially identical in constructionand each includes u frame or casing comprising confronting side plates or members 14C connected by bolts or other suitable 'fastening devices 15 to the sills 11. Seating against the bottom edges of the plates 11 is a bottom plate or pan 1G while a top plate or cover 17 is rested upon the upper edges of the said side plates to complete the frame. Connecting the top and bottom plates with the sills, in the manner best shown in Fig. B'of the drawings, are a plurality of bolts or other suitable fastening devices 18. Projecting inwardly from the side plates 14: adjacent the outer end of the frame, are oppositely disposed stop lugs 19. Similarly arranged stop lugs 2O project from the said plates in inward spaced relation to the lugs 19. Projecting inwardly from the plates 14 adjacent the inner end of the frame, are oppositely disposed stop lugs 21 and similarly arranged stop lugs 2:). project from said plates in inward spaced relation to the lugs Q1. The frame, is. as best shown in Fig. 3 of rectangular configuration and the plates 16 and 17 may be removed as occasion may demand for gaining access to the interior of the casing of the draft. ineinber. Freely mounted within the draft member casing between the stop lugs 19 and 20 is a transversely extending floating follower 23 and freely mounted between the stop lugs 21 and 22 is a similar follower 2i. 'llhe followers 23 and 21 are provided with oppoiid sitely disposed openings through which is freely fitted a stub draft rod 25. Intex-posed between the [followers 23 and 24 is a helical spring 0r cushioning element 26 which surrounds the draft rod 25 and is fitted at its ends over suitable bosses carried by the said followers. Arranged upon opposite sides of the spring 26 and bearing between corresponding ends of the followers 23 and 24 are helical springs or cushioning elements 27, the ends of which are received by bosses carried by the said followers and as will be observed, the springs 2G and 2T will act to yieldably maintain the followers 23 and 24 in spaced relation.

The inner extremity of the draft rod 25 is screw threaded to detachably receive a turn buckle 28 which confronts the follower 24 and is adjustable upon the said rod to tension the cushioning s rings 2G and 27.

Slidably connected with the turn-buckle 28 is a draft rod 29 extending longitudinally and inwardly between the sills 11. The stub draft rod 25, at its outer extremity, is formed with a cylindrical head 30 terminating ina squared portion 31 for receiving a wrench so that the said rod may be held fixed to either adjust or detach the turn buckle 28. Freely connected with the head 30 of said rod is a hollow draw bar 32. This bar is, as best seen in Fig. 6 of the drawings, formed at its inner extremity, with an opening 33 through which the head 30 of the rod 25 may be removed for detaching the draw bar from the said rod. Closing the opening 33 is a filler block 34 which is locked in position by a pin The free extremity of the draw bar 32 is formed in any approved manner to couple with a coacting draw bar.

The draft members 12 and 13 thus described are arranged to support the draw bars 32 thereof projecting beyond opposite ends of the car frame as particularly illustrated in Fig, 1 of the drawings and interposed between the said draft members to coact therewith, is an equalizer for distributing the draft between the said members. This equalizer is carried by the inner extremities of the draft rods 29 and serves to operatively connect the draft rods. More particularly, this equalizer includes. as best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, a plurality of blocks 36,37, and 33 respectively, the blocks 36 and 37 being slidably mounted upon one of the rods 29 and held against displacement therefrom by a nut 39 while the block 3S is slidably mounted upon the other of the rods 29 and is held against displacement therefrom by a nut 40. The blocks 3T and 33 are recessed to receive the nuts 39 and 40 which are arranged at the inner extremities ofthe rods 29. lnterposed between the blocks 3G and 37 is a helical equalizing and distributing spring 41 arranged to surround the adjacent rod 29 and fitted at its ends over suitable bosses carried by .the said blocks. Detachably connecting the blocks'36, 37 and 38, are coacting rods 42 arranged upon opposite sides of the rods 29 and loosely fitted through the said blocks so that the blocks may slide freely thereon. The equalizer thus described, may, as will be observed, be easily detachedfrom the rods 29 and, if desired, a cross bracket 43 between the sills 11 may be employed for supporting the said equalizer as well as for supporting the inner extremities of the rods 29 in alinement with the stub draft rods 25.

As will now be seen, draft upon one, of

`the draw bars 32, say for instance, the draw bar at the rig-ht of Fig. 1 of the drawings, will be communicated fromA the saiddraw bar through the draft rod 25 to which it is connected and thence through the-adjacent ro'd 29 to the equalizer,` acting upon the block 37 to slide the said block toward the block 36 and consequently compress the spring 41. The draft uponthe draw bar,v 32 at the left of Fig. 1V will, as will be understood, be communicated to the block 3 8 and thence through the rods 42 to. the block 36 and compress the spring 41. The* spring 41 will, therefore, interrupt the draft between the draw bars of the rigging to distribute the draft between the draft members 12 and 13 and will also provide sufficient play or slack in the rigging to eliminate any jerking `or suddenness of mot-ion hen draft is applied to either of the draw bars, the said spring being adapted to cushion the draw bars when draft 1s applied thereto.

In this connection, attention is directedto the function ofthe draft members 12 and 13. Assuming that a draft is simultaneously applied to the draw bars 32, the compression of the spring 41 of the equalizer will permit the followers 23 and 24 to slide forwardly within the frames of the draft members toward the pairs of stop lugs 19 and 22 respectively. It will now be noted as best seen in Fig. 4 of the drawings, that the followers 24 are normally arranged to en-I gage the lugs 21 while the followers are disposed substantially midway between the pairs of lugs 19 and 20. Consequently. when the followers and 24 are caused to 4shift forwardly within the frames of the draft .members, the followers 23 will first contact with the stop lugs 19 with the followers 24 remaining free. In this position of the followers, draft upon the draw bars '32 will, through the medium of the. stub 'lugs 21 and 22 of both of the draft heads so that the followers 2d of the said draft members may consequently shift td engage the stop lugs 22 for a direct pull upon the draft members.

lt will therefore be seen that the draft upon the draw bars 32 will be gradually absorbed by the spring 4:1 of the equalizer and by the springs 26 and 27 of the draft members. Consequently, load upon the draw bars will, at all times, be edectually cushioned so that there will be no Wrenching or jerking of the car frame. ll, therefore, provide a construction adapted for use upon cars constructed with wooden bodies since the rigging will .relieve any strain upon the center sills commonly employed in connection with wooden bodied cars to receive the draft rigging. As is well known, these sills, when draft appliances as now commonly employed are connected thereto, soon become broken by the jerking and wrenching of the draw bars. It will further be noted that when several cars equipped with my improved rigging are connected, a continuous draft will be provided from end to end of the train formed by the said cars and in this connection, it will be observed that the equalizers of the rigging of the several cars will act to distribute the draft equally therebetween.

lVhen the draft is relieved upon the draw bars 32 as in the case when a car is g'oing down grade. the springs 26 and-27 will act to shift the followers 23 and 2t to their normal position while the spring 41 of the equalizer will again assume its normal position so that when draft is again applied to the draw hars. the rigging will act yto effectually cushion the draft. Upon a back thrust against the draw bars 3Q, the heads 3() of the stub draft rods 25 will shift longitudiually within the said draw bars so that the draw bars will thus act against the followers 23 to shift the said followers inwardly against the springs 2G- and 27 of the draft members. Consequently, such backward thrust upon the draw bars will be cushioned by the said springs to eliminate any bumping or jerking of the cars. 'llhe extreme inward movement of the followers 23 is defined by the stop lugs 20 arranged to engage withthe said followers when the draw Lili) -associated wtih the said members and arranged at opposite extremities of the car, draw bars connected with the said draft rods, cushioning elements for the draw bars carried by the said members, an equalizer, and means carried by the said draft rods for adjustably tensioning the said elements and operatively connecting the draft rods with the equalizer.

3. A draft rigging for railway cars including spaced draft members, followers carried by the said members, draft rods eirtending between the followers of the said members respectively and arranged at opposite extremities of-the car, draw bars connected to l said draft rods, cushioning elements .for the draw bars interposed be'- tween the followers of the respective draft members, an equalizer, and means adjustable upon the said rods for tensioning the said elements and operatively connecting the draft rods with the equalizer.

Il. l-i draft rigging including a draft member, coacting followers carried by the said member, a draft rod extending loosely be- 5. A draft rigging including coacting draft rods and an equalizer connecting the said rods, the equalizer including a block fixed against outward movement upon one of the rods, a block fixed against outward movement upon the other of the rods, a block slidable outwardly upon said second mentioned rod, a rod connecting said last mentioned block with said first mentioned block, and yieldablc means interposed between the slidable and lined blocks of the said second mentioned rod.

6. A draft rigging including coacting draft rods and an equalizer connecting the said rods, the said equalizer including a block connected tothe inner terminal of one of said rods and held against outward moveeluding spaced draft members, draw hars ment thereon a block connected to the inassociated therewith and arranged at opponer terminal of the other of said rods and site extremities of the car, draft roas 'e- 15 held against outward movement thereon, a tendin from the said bars, cushioning ele- 5 block slidable outwardly upon said second ments fior the said draw bars carried by the mentioned rod, means connectin the fixed said members, an equalizer, and turn buckles block of said first mentioned ro with said adjustable upon the said rods for tensioning slidable block, and a spring surrounding the said elements and operatively connect- 2o the said second mentioned rod and intering the draw bars with the equalizer.

10 posed between the fixed block thereof and In testimony whereof I'aflix my signature.

the said slidable block.

7. A draft rigging for railway cars in- HENRY C. AMIS. [L.s.] 

